--5--

ALICE

I stared down into the abyss of my coffee wondering why I didn't just turn around. Why didn't I look? Why did I leave?

Questions I knew the answer to, but no longer knew if I stood with conviction on my answers. 

I didn't want to know who he was and make it easier to go after him, except now I'm going to be blindsided. I was sure that finding my mate would end my once chance at a normal life. Returning to the pack would be the natural course of action, except the only thing I was certain of was that he wasn't a wolf. 

{But he was something, and we will find him,} Amara was being weirdly calm over the whole situation, I expected her to be ballistic this morning.

[And when we’re forced into going home?]

{Then we will be where we belong, with our pack.}

I grumbled face down into my arm that was draped over the table as Cynthia walked in, "You didn't drink that much last night," she chirped as I watched her high heels click past me. 

"It's Sunday," I looked over her outfit, "right?"

"Yes," she rolled her eyes as she laughed lightly at me, "Mr.Penn has an important meeting this morning that can't be postponed. I agreed to assist him today with preparations-" 

"Because he can't survive without you," I smiled up at her as I interrupted. 

"Ain't that the truth," she raised her eyebrow, "but no. Because he agreed to give me a plus one invite to the very exclusive Bourland art showing next weekend." 

"No." My jaw dropped, "You didn't!" When she nodded I got up and half leaped into hugging her as I gently gripped the sides of her face and kissed her forehead. 

"You get weird when you're excited," she murmured as I let her go, smoothing out her outfit to make sure it was still perfect. 

I guess it was 'weird,' but truthfully if Nixon was around it would be way worse.

"A good weird," she added as she grabbed her things, "the art show is formal, but the dress code is strictly gold." 

"Oh, I have the perfect dress," I wiggled my eyebrows at her and winked her way, "I'll be the perfect date." She blushed slightly, and with a quick wave, she was gone. 

This week was overseeing more than working as several locations I'd been working on were having things delivered and set up to my specifications. Ted and I put the final touches in as usual and sent the before and after photos to our media manager.

Three years ago I never would have dreamed that my love for decorating people's homes and spaces would have grown to this extent. I specialized in more high-end clients, picking pieces for their homes that showed their personalities, which was why the Bourland show tonight would be perfect. His pieces are highly sought after and I needed to acquire at least two tonight, even if I didn’t know who they were going to belong to yet.  

"She's going to lose her mind when she sees this," Ted whispered as they got the water wall feature up and running. 

"I hope so," I beamed back. I could tell when we met with Ms. Bagassi that she was a shifter but it took me a while to figure out that she was a cat type. Other shifters weren't well known about, part of the reason my parents were now out of the country. 

She wanted the room to be her sanctuary, somewhere she could relax and meditate, and I tried to bring in the tropical elements of the rainforest for her. 

Her arrival was announced by a thud and the light sound of purring. Her purse remained on the floor where she dropped it, and her eyes flashed brightly so quickly that Ted’s human eyes wouldn’t have picked up on it. She let her guard slip, and between that and the tears rolling down her cheek, it was one of the biggest compliments I could have gotten. 

"Marvelous," she choked back, "just stunning! I don't know how you've managed to outdo my expectations Ms. Robert's!" 

"I'm glad you love it Ms. Bagassi.” I took her hands in my own but knowing that affection was a huge part of their species prepared me for when she pulled me into a quick hug. “My assistant has the final papers for you to sign, and then we can get out of here and let you enjoy it." 

I hurried along with the last of the staff as Ted finished up with her and I could hear her vaguely ramble off a list of names for people she would refer to us for projects of their own, perfect. Referrals were the main source of my business. 

“You look rough,” Ted cracked as we left, “better go home and get a quick nap in love, unless you’re trying to scare away the crowd.” He knew I hadn’t been sleeping and assumed it was out of excitement for the show tonight and I let him, I could never explain the other reason. Amara may have afforded me the morning after, but she was exhaustingly on high alert everywhere I went and kept me awake all hours of the night trying to insist we go back to Ambrosia. 

“That’s the plan,” I smirked, “fewer people to bid on the pieces I want.”

“I’ll prepare the caffeine drip immediately after.”

“After?” I quirked an eyebrow at him and he just shrugged. 

“Unofficial after-party at Ambrosia,” he said matter of fact as he was texting a number of people as Amara started whimpering and whining. 

[Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you, Amara, we aren’t going home. I don’t want to lead the pack and deal with Linden’s special brand of crazy or anything prophecy-related. If our mate finds us there again, I won’t change my life for him.]

Our mate was a predator, that I was sure of, which made this idea even worse. A human would have tried to pursue me, tried to stop me from leaving even without the mate bond, he didn’t so much as ask me for a way to contact me. He knew he could track me down if he needed to, so why hasn’t he?